Honduras
San Pedro Sula East Mission
2013 - 2016

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The First 12 Weeks . . .

To the new Missionary . . .

Welcome!

We are so happy to welcome 22 new missionaries to the

San Pedro Sula East Mission



(Twenty missionaries arrived from the Guatemala CCM, one
missionary arrived from the Mexico MTC,  and we received one new sister
missionary, daughter of one of our Stake Presidents,  from Honduras who is waiting to serve where she was called in Phoenix, Arizona)

(The Family Zalaya)





Welcome!

We're going to talk a little about what your experience will be like during the
First 12 Weeks

of your mission.

When the time period spent in the CCM or the MTC was decreased with the increasingly high numbers of missionaries serving, a new inspired work was added to the missionary library for missionaries serving everywhere across the world.




(the mightly crew of Assistants and office staff who helped us prepare for the day!)








It's entitled  - 

"The First 12 Weeks"

YOUR First 12 Weeks - 

Your experience in the missionary training center was designed to help you learn your purpose as a missionary and how to prepare and teach investigators by the Spirit, according to their interests and needs.
 Your purpose for the rest of your mission is to follow the promptings of the Spirit as you invite an increasing number of people "to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end" (Preach My Gospel p1).

To accomplish this purpose, you will continue to build on the foundation established at the MTC or CCM by understanding and living all the principles of missionary work found in Preach My Gospel.  Strive to become the kind of missionary who could, if called upon, train a new missionary by the end of your first 12 weeks in the mission field.





(funny story - we were expecting ONE Missionary to arrive from the Mexico CCM.
Much to our surprise - two came walking out of the customs area!
(Whew - not a mistake . . . just another returning missionary from Tegucigalpa on his way back home :)

(enjoying a fun game of "Missionary Jeopardy")



To accomplish this objective, follow these principles:


  • Be obedient - to mission rules and the direction contained in the Missionary Handbook.  
  • Love, serve and listen to your companion.
  • Eagerly participate as a fully contributing member of your companionship.

The Lord has blessed you with unique gifts and abilities; use them to become the BEST missionary you can be.  Learn all you can from your companion, and apply the following guidelines as you study and proselyte together:

  • Focus your study on helping your investigators prepare to make and keep covenants!
  • Stay anchored in the scriptures and Preach My Gospel.
  • Learn to effectively teach the doctrines in Preach My Gospel, chapter 3.
  • Conduct effective daily and weekly planning, and be diligent in carrying out and adjust ing your plans according to the Spirit.  Use this time to seek revelation.
  • Follow the training schedule in the booklet, The First 12 Weeks.  

(Interesting info - we now have three missionaries from Guatemala whose native language is
Q'eqChi - a native language of the Mayan - totally different from Spanish.  We also received our first missionary from Brazil!  Four missionaries who are learning Spanish, whose native language is neither English or Spanish)




Why do we do Missionary Work?

When the Savior walked upon the earth and established his church and taught his gospel, he said, 

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).


(Welcome to beautiful Honduras - the mountains between Olanchito and Yoro)




Missionaries everywhere don't dedicate 18 - 24 months of their lives just to increase the membership of the church, or to "bring people into the church" or persuade them to live better lives . . . those are great blessings that can and do occur . . . and as always, we are mindful of the many churches and organizations the persuade men to believe in the Savior and go about doing good works . . .

But we are concerned about a higher purpose . . . missionaries dedicate their service, and teach and testify to help people make covenants with our Heavenly Father, that allow them to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father and gain the blessings of Eternal Life.  The first of which is baptism and confirmation, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  


Elder Oaks reminds us - 

The purpose of our missionary work is to help the children of God fulfill a condition prescribed by our Savior and Redeemer.
The doctrinal basis of missionary work is the word of God, revealed in every age, that man cannot be saved in the celestial kingdom without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and that the only way to lay claim to the merits of that Atonement is to follow the command of its author: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38).






We . . . are called to assist in that great effort.

Here in the beautiful country that is . . .

Honduras.



(I guess you can tell . . .
I really do have a thing going with the cows here, they so delight me :)

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